My property is freehold , I own a two bedroom house, I pay £1 for ground rent. The pavements and street lighting are maintained by the council,and I maintain my own property. I contacted solitaire about purchasing the ground rent about two years ago and apart from an intial letter and my ringing several times I have heard nothing since. Due to ill health I really lost interest in pursuing this option.

I also wrote to solitaire several years ago asking precisely what I was paying for, their reply was, its in the deeds of your property that you pay a maintenace charge. For What?

The only things I can see that are periodically maintained are some common shrubs/trees and grassy areas.

The vast amount of the charges are for administration.

This whole area of estate management should be investigated and regulated by a government body with a clear mandate to stop this day light robbery.

The latest service charge has gone up 20% from last years bill.

I applaud the person who started this petition, and hope this gathers momentum and gets results.